1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mixing or proportioning valve and, more particularly, to a ball-type single lever valve adapted for mixing or proportioning hot and cold water and for controlling the volume of flow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many mixing devices have been developed to avoid the disadvantages of utilizing separate hot and cold water taps to control water temperature and volume. These devices permit the simultaneous setting of the volume of water delivered as well as the proportion of hot and cold water, and they can be provided with predetermined markings to indicate the approximate volume of flow and proportion of hot and cold water. Various refinements have been added, including the addition of liner members and flexible diaphrams to improve the sealing between the valve elements and to extend the operating life of the mixing valve.
One problem inherent in the prior art devices is the reversed operation of the valve relative to traditional hot and cold water taps. Since the inlet passages enter the mixing valve from below and since the hand control lever conveniently extends from the top of the mixing valve, movement of the hand control lever toward the hot water inlet pipe results in an increased proportion of cold water flow. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,519,017; 3,809,124; and 4,182,372 issued to Nogier et al, Nelson, and Grandin, Jr. et al, respectively, are typical of this reversed operation. Other problems of the existing mixing valve devices include excessive noise resulting from turbulence within the mixing valve and high manufacturing costs associated with the shape of the water passages and the valve seat construction. Such difficulties are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,056,418 and 3,422,849 issued to Adams et al and Manoogian, respectively.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ball-type single lever mixing valve which does not have a reversed mode of operation. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved ball-type single lever mixing valve which has reduced noise associated with water turbulence and which can be economically manufactured.